sustainability Archives

Casting off the shackles of greed, corruption, and deceit: Recipe for a new world order

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We live in a world order where money talks and powerful people can act as they please with impunity.

Global equality and sustainability cannot be achieved until the dominant paradigm of greed, corruption, and deceit, which permeate all levels of governance and commerce, is overhauled. Dr Roy I Bhikharie is exploring if and how the UN system is responsible for supporting the economic growth of the elite at the expense of the broader population. Based on this work, a […]

CO₂ conversion for a circular carbon economy

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Dr Gary Grim has been working on quantifying the feasibility of CO2 conversion.

A circular carbon economy – where carbon released from the Earth is captured and repurposed – is a promising concept, and CO2 conversion to sustainable products has been at the forefront of research. Dr Gary Grim at the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, USA, has been working on quantifying the feasibility of CO2 conversion. He provides a detailed comparison of available […]

Circular economy for a sustainable planet: Quantifying the effects of circularity

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Managing our planet’s resources carefully is becoming an emergency. A committed focus on environmental management and sustainability is urgent, as is our pressing obligation to address climate change. Dr Simone Bastianoni from the University of Siena, Italy, along with his colleagues, is working to improve data-driven approaches to underpin key decisions and strategies for moving to a circular economy (CE). […]

Science, AI, and securing a sustainable future

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Around 95% of the world’s population agree with the concept of sustainable development goals (SDGs) as a way of building a sustainable future in the face of the climate crisis. But SDGs come with a hefty price tag. Stefan Brunnhuber is a clinician and socioeconomist who believes the solution to this conundrum is a switch in the global mindset. Sustainability […]

The EUB SuperHub Online Platform: Towards a smart and sustainable construction future

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The EUB SuperHub platform is an integrated cloud data hub for building information.

Imagine how much easier life would be with an online repository containing all relevant information about a building over its lifecycle while also connecting all stakeholders, from developers and contractors to tenants and maintenance teams. Moving from imagination to reality, Ahmed Khoja, senior researcher at Munich University of Applied Sciences, Germany, and Dr Marina Malinovec Puček, lead consultant at the […]

Capitalist utopias and financial futures of the US oil and gas industry

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Dr High examines the relationship between private equity investment and the projects envisaged by oil industry entrepreneurs.

Drawing on long-term fieldwork involving almost a decade of interviews and observations, Dr Mette High, Director of the University of St Andrews’ Centre for Energy Ethics, UK, investigates what happens when oil industry entrepreneurs with utopic projects and private equity firms looking to invest come together. In this study centring on Weld County, Colorado – with more than 22,000 active […]

The science of dishwashing: Changing habits for a greener world

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Schencking and Stamminger identify best practice tips for manual and electric dishwashing.

By making small changes to our domestic habits, we can make a big difference to global energy use and resource consumption. That’s the message from a new review report, which shows how rethinking the everyday task of washing up can help private households to become significantly more resource efficient. Led by Dr Lotta Schencking and Professor Rainer Stamminger from the […]

Plastic Free July 2023: Small changes to make big differences

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Research Outreach - Plastic Free July 2023. A selection of articles for Plastic Free July. The image is a pair of hands cupping a globe made of plastic fibres on a blue background.

Founded in 2011, the Plastic Free July campaign is the brainchild of the Plastic Free Foundation, a global social movement that is working towards a plastic free world. It is impossible to be unaware of the impact that plastic has had on the world, both positive and negative. Plastic is a lightweight, easily mouldable material with a wide range of […]

Change by exchange: The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD)

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A group of smiling young people are standing in a circle with their hands stretched out and all resting one on another in the middle of the circle. Research Outreach spoke to Kai Sicks about the DAAD and the work of the organisation to provide opportunities for change through exchange programmes, funding, and other support.

The German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) is a large German education agency with global perspectives aimed at spreading the value of ‘exchange’ across borders and cultures through diverse, funded research projects. Research Outreach was privileged to talk with Kai Sicks, Secretary General of the DAAD, on the objectives, achievements, and future goals of the organisation. Many borders exist that prevent […]

Mechanochemistry: A new route to sustainable polymer recycling

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Junpeng Wang investigates how mechanochemistry and chemical unlocking can be used in combination to prepare degradable polymers that are otherwise too challenging to synthesise using standard synthetic routes.

Plastics and rubbers are some of the most important materials in advanced societies, and hundreds of millions of tonnes are produced every year. Devising efficient and cost-effective ways to recycle these materials has become a crucial environmental concern. Although degradable plastic-based materials can be produced, their practical use is limited by their vulnerability under environmental stress. Professor Junpeng Wang and […]